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Zong
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Replica of the Zong
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Zong

British slave ship
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Replica of the Zong
Replica of the Zong A replica of the Zong on the River Thames in March 2007, the 200th anniversary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade.

The Zong massacre was the murder of over 130 enslaved Africans by the crew of the British slave ship Zong in November 1781. The crew claimed they lacked sufficient fresh water due to faulty casks and poor navigation, leading them to throw enslaved people overboard to conserve water. This horrific event and the subsequent legal proceedings, where the ship's owners sought insurance compensation, became a significant rallying point for abolitionists. It highlighted the brutal inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade and contributed to the eventual passage of British antislavery laws.12

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  1. Zong massacre
  2. Zong massacre: Top Questions

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